Asking Entrepreneurs for Help Improving the U.S. Visa Process

Business schools and venture capital firms have long organized entrepreneur-in-residence programs, tapping seasoned founders for a year or two to mentor students or evaluate potential investments.

Now U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is launching what it calls its own “Entrepreneurs in Residence” initiative to bring business leaders and academics into the agency to meet regularly with officials to improve the visa process. The goal is “capturing the full power of the laws that currently exist to attract talent to spur entrepreneurial growth, to maximize innovation — all for the benefit of our economy and the American worker,” says agency director Alejandro Mayorkas.

Specifics on the push Mayorkas announced today are still being hammered out. Names of the participants and mechanics on how the in-person meetings will work haven’t been announced yet, though he expects to in the next week or so.

Message from Committee Chair

The Eastern Kentucky University College of Business and Technology, Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation, and The Center for Rural Development are soliciting nominations for the 2014 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards (EIEA) of Eastern and Southern Kentucky. These four sponsoring organizations have come together to recognize entrepreneurs who demonstrate exceptional achievements within the Eastern and Southern Kentucky geographic region.